Techniquest

Techniquest bring in global specialist to design new interactive STEM content

October 15, 2018

Concept designs for new exhibits 

Educational charity Techniquest is moving forward with its plans to radically transform its science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay with the appointment of a globally-recognised exhibit designer.

After securing £5.7m for its Science Capital project, which involves extending its Stuart Street site and repositioning itself in the marketplace, the 32-year-old charity has appointed Huttinger, following a competitive pitch.

The German company is a specialist in its field having designed and manufactured exhibits worldwide for science centres including The Scientific Centre in Kuwait, the Science Museum in London, Hong Kong Science Museum and NEMO science museum in Amsterdam.

Huttinger will work with Techniquest to design exhibits for its new exhibition, increasing the thematic range of scientific content it currently offers and ensuring that it is engaging for a wide range of ages and audiences.

Lesley Kirkpatrick, CEO of Techniquest, said: “We were blown away with the unique and inspiring concept design ideas presented by Huttinger. They have a wealth of experience in this field and they also demonstrated a key understanding of our new mission.  Their design ideas integrated digital technology with traditional hands on exhibits that will enable us to stand out as a cutting edge science centre on a national level.

“The new exhibits will enable us to increase the age range and diversity of our audiences and, in turn help us to increase our visitor numbers. This will provide vital additional income to ensure Techniquest continues to provide a first class visitor experience for years to come.”

It is expected that around 60 new engaging interactive exhibits will form part of the new extension, covering themes such as space, environmental science, medical biology, chemistry, cutting edge technology and world issues.

James Summers, head of projects at Techniquest, said: “At the moment, our content focuses explicitly on phenomena based activities and we have identified gaps in the scientific topics our current exhibition offers.

“We are excited to be working with Huttinger to design a range of new exhibits around specific topics that are key to the everyday life of our audiences and the STEM agenda in Wales. By focussing on these topics we hope to work closely with companies linked to these topics that would like to showcase the work that they are doing and how Wales is playing a key part in future technologies.”

Joerg Huttinger, CEO at Huttinger, said: “Science Centres, like Techniquest, are in competition with conventional leisure attractions when it comes to attracting the public purse, so there is a fine line between entertainment and education. Our unique experience in designing both science centres and themed attractions enables us to plan and design exhibits that are attractive, interactive, educationally effective and operationally sound. Techniquest is a much loved institution in Wales and we’re delighted to be involved at this exciting time.”

The Science Capital project is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Wellcome Trust’s Inspiring Science Fund, the Moondance Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Welsh Government’s ‘Invest to Save’ fund, and Proton Partners International Ltd.

 

Find us

  • Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff, CF10 5BW

Contact us

  • info@techniquest.org
  • 029 2047 5475
    Mon–Fri: 9am–5pm Sat–Sun: 10am–5pm
    While we always endeavour to answer calls, when the centre is busy it may not always be possible.
    If you leave us a message we will respond to you as quickly as we can.

Opening hours

  • Techniquest’s opening hours vary — visit the Opening Times page to find out the current hours.

Charity & company

Newsletter Signup

Get the latest news from Techniquest direct to your email inbox.

FAQs

  •   What is Techniquest?

    Techniquest is an educational charity, with a science centre in Cardiff Bay. Our mission is to embed science in Welsh culture through interactive engagement. We provide a range of services to schools and teachers to complement formal education provision in Wales and work extensively with public audiences.

  •   Where can I park?

    We are pleased to be able to offer all of our visitors discounted parking with Q-Park, our preferred parking partner.

    The Q-Park operates the Cardiff Bay car park in Pierhead Street which is around 8 minutes walk from Techniquest.

    We have agreed a special discount rate for our customers of 15% off all pre-bookings.
    Pre-book and guarantee your space here using the code TECHNI15.

    There are also nearby pay-and-display car parks on Stuart Street and Havannah Street. Please do not park on Havannah Street itself.

    We regret that there is no parking on-site at Techniquest.

  •   Who is it for?

    Techniquest is suitable for all ages! We do have special events for certain groups, however — see Toddler Days and Home Educator days.

  • I have a different question.

    Please see our dedicated FAQ page.

  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo